Page 35 of The Jinglebell War
As I storm out the door, I hear Blue apologizing and asking for a minute. There’s no way I’m agreeing to this. I pick up my pace.
“Garrick, wait.”
I move into a jog. There’s just about fifty feet of linoleum between me and the stairwell. I should be able to outrun Blue with no—
“Ooof.” I hit the ground hard, a human body pinning me to the floor. “What the hell, Demon?”
“I asked you to wait.” Blue doesn’t move off me.
I’m flat on my face and she’s sitting on my ass, her legs straddling my hips. There is absolutely no reason I should be hard right now, but my dick is irrational and attracted to women brave enough to tackle a man to the ground.
“I could have broken a bone.”
“You’re fine,” she says. “If you’d broken a fingernail, you’d be whining about it already.”
“I do not whine, Demon. I’m a—”
“I’ll do it.” She’s laying over me now, her breath warm against my skin as she whispers. “I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend. I’ll go with you to visit your parents if you plan the festival with me.”
Damn it. I really do need her. But I really, really don’t have time to plan this festival. “Get off me and let me think.”
She doesn’t get off me. “I need to prove to the council I’m serious about being mayor. I need to—”
“This is absolutely atrocious behavior,” a familiar female voice screeches.
Blue scrambles off me. “He fell. I was making sure he’s okay.”
I push to my feet without groaning, even though I bashed my knees pretty good when she took me down. The entire council is standing in the hallway and staring at us.
“I slipped,” I say. “Fell flat on my face. Hit hard enough to have a change of heart. I’ll plan and host the festival with the mayor.”
Blue smiles at me, but her left eye is twitching.
“I mean it,” I say. “I love this town. I’ll do whatever I can to make this holiday festival the best it’s ever been.”
“I should hope so,” Yvonne says with another sniff. Maybe she’s allergic to fun. “I will be checking in with you periodically to make sure the festival is progressing as planned.”
Most of the council members turn away, heading for the elevator on the other end of the hall. I turn to Blue to hash out details about the visit to my parents and festival planning, but a heavy hand lands on my shoulder, along with the scent of peppermint and cigars.
I turn to face one of the few council members I actually like, Charles Rutherford. “I’ll walk you out, Garrick. Good night, Mayor.”
“Good night, Mr. Rutherford. Mr. Evergreen, I’ll be in touch.”
I nod and let Charles lead me to the stairwell.
The door has barely closed behind us before Charles speaks. “I understand gossip often gets things wrong, so I wanted to ask directly if you and the mayor are truly waging a war against each other that began with animosity.” He starts down the stairs and I keep pace beside him.
I sigh. There seems little point in lying. “I’ve heard you support the mayor, but she’s trying to change this town in ways no one wants. And she’s doing everything in her power to prevent me from getting the permits I need to expand my business and take my clients to new locations.”
I’m three steps down before I realize Charles has stopped. When I turn to look back at him, he’s staring down at me in disgust. “What could possibly have given you that idea?”
Why is he acting so shocked? “She’s made no secret about not wanting me to use city vehicles for my business.”
“She’s right about that,” Charles says sternly. “And has she told you she’s been blocking your requests for permits?”
“She hasn’t denied it.” I feel like I’m in the principal’s office, about to get suspended from school for the third time in a year. I care a lot more about Charles Rutherford’s poor opinion of me than I did the principal’s.
Charles makes his way carefully down the stairs and stops next to me. “You should be careful about the assumptions you make, son. You might very well make an enemy of one of the few people actually on your side.”
